Compliance Management, Privacy, Security Strategy, Plan, Budget

States gearing up for 2018 elections by requesting Federal cybersecurity funding

The U.S Election Assistance Commission (EAC) announced that 26 states have requested $209,638,865, or 55 percent of the $380 million for Help American Vote Act (HAVA) funds to improve election cybersecurity ahead of the 2018 midterm election.

EAC Chairman Thomas Hicks called the states' funding requests “an undeniable recognition that this money can have a tangible and immediate impact on the efficiency, security and accessibility of our nation's elections systems,” in a June 5 press release.

Hicks anticipates all jurisdictions will submit funding requests, which also require that states match 5 percent of the allotted federal funds, by July.

The state portion of the funding was determined using a voting age population formula described in Section 101 of HAVA. In early April, the EAC send grant award notification letters which allowed states to incur costs with prior EAC approval, against the forthcoming grant awards effective the date of the notification letter.

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